Learning the TG-6

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Scuba_Jenny

dirty-finned dive goddess
ScubaBoard Supporter
Divemaster
Messages
32,205
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Location
Hollywood, Florida
# of dives
1000 - 2499
Camera history.. First underwater camera was the Ikelite housing with the disposable cameras. After taking quite a few years off, I started back and picked up a Oly SP-350. It was already an old camera by then, and it was a good camera to learn on. About 5-6 years ago I finally upgraded to the Canon S95. Wow! What an improvement! Along the way I got a couple diopters and a flat wide angle lens, and really got to play with macro. Now.... Picked up a new to me TG-6. It came with...... nothing. First purchase was some aftermarket batteries. I couldn't see spending $40 for a battery (currently on back order everywhere, as is the camera) when I could pick up 2 and a charger for $20. Time will tell if that is a bad decision.

Camera arrived Friday afternoon, and I scrambled to download the manual and push some buttons before the dive early Saturday. That was pretty nerve wracking dropping the camera in the water sans housing!!! Turn the camera on, it works... ok, now to find out what to shoot. I dived Blue Heron Bridge, a nice easy 2 hour dive. The camera worked well, and I quickly found out I needed to read more of the manual! Get home, download the photos and open Bridge.. Crud. My version of Bridge is so old, it doesn't recognize the RAW files. Download Affinity Photo, I've heard from multiple sources that this is just as good as photoshop but without the subscription fee.

But before I can play with it though, I am back in the water with another dive. This time a very relaxing 3 hr dive at my favorite dive site in Hollywood, FL. I shot lots of photos, turned off the camera when not in use, and managed to surface with battery left! Woot!

The camera seems like it was designed for divers like me!! Oh, my gosh! I rarely do anything deeper than 30ft., and love shooting macro with a smathering of wide angle thrown in. The underwater settings do well, and I am especially impressed with its ability to focus on the correct subject! The S95 would always seem to focus on the wrong subject! And with limited options with the housing, I never really found a work around. Always a level of frustration when trying to shoot something in the water column and the camera couldn't find it.

I had some issues with fuzzing images, but I am going to attribute it to me, not the camera. Of course I will be learning the limitations soon enough, yet am happy so far with the results.

As for the Affinity Photo software. TI loved Adobe Bridge for selecting/deleting photos, and did a search for a good photo viewer. The first video suggested Bridge, which is free! Woot! Just downloaded the latest version of Bridge.

That is where I am right now.. I just downloaded off the camera todays photos. Will start editing shortly and will post some later in this thread.
 
My wife has the TG-5 and just loves it. be sure to try the micro-mode .. focused within a few MM ... like an ant's face :) or a grain of sand...
The macro was the main reason she got it ..

You might not need it for 30ft dives but she added the housing ... strobes .. video lights ... wide angle dome lense .., made for lots of Christmas present ideas.
The housing also has a small hood for the viewfinder to limit glare.

Look forward to your pics. Seems Viz was good at the bridge today.. hope it stays, we're planning to be up there tomorrow if you want to see her setup.
 
Gosh darn, I am doing that thing tomorrow that keeps my house out of foreclosure.. working... LOL
One of the biggest selling points for me is the microscope. Used it quite a bit between yesterday and today. Found that coral polyps are easier to shoot than juvenile high hats under a 1/2" long! LOL
I am looking at a housing in the future. Right now am wondering about some strobes. I have a couple here that I've never used and need to either get the sync cords or sell them. Did pick up a video light that has some promise. With my previous cameras I hand held a light while trying to shoot. Fun times.
 
Don't forget about Olympus Workspace. Unsurprisingly, it handles Olympus RAW files just fine. It'll let you do a fair amount of library management and some RAW file editing. Is it really as good as Lightroom? No. Is it free? Yes!
 
Ohhhh good to know!
 
Camera history.. First underwater camera was the Ikelite housing with the disposable cameras. After taking quite a few years off, I started back and picked up a Oly SP-350. It was already an old camera by then, and it was a good camera to learn on. About 5-6 years ago I finally upgraded to the Canon S95. Wow! What an improvement! Along the way I got a couple diopters and a flat wide angle lens, and really got to play with macro. Now.... Picked up a new to me TG-6. It came with...... nothing. First purchase was some aftermarket batteries. I couldn't see spending $40 for a battery (currently on back order everywhere, as is the camera) when I could pick up 2 and a charger for $20. Time will tell if that is a bad decision.

Camera arrived Friday afternoon, and I scrambled to download the manual and push some buttons before the dive early Saturday. That was pretty nerve wracking dropping the camera in the water sans housing!!! Turn the camera on, it works... ok, now to find out what to shoot. I dived Blue Heron Bridge, a nice easy 2 hour dive. The camera worked well, and I quickly found out I needed to read more of the manual! Get home, download the photos and open Bridge.. Crud. My version of Bridge is so old, it doesn't recognize the RAW files. Download Affinity Photo, I've heard from multiple sources that this is just as good as photoshop but without the subscription fee.

But before I can play with it though, I am back in the water with another dive. This time a very relaxing 3 hr dive at my favorite dive site in Hollywood, FL. I shot lots of photos, turned off the camera when not in use, and managed to surface with battery left! Woot!

The camera seems like it was designed for divers like me!! Oh, my gosh! I rarely do anything deeper than 30ft., and love shooting macro with a smathering of wide angle thrown in. The underwater settings do well, and I am especially impressed with its ability to focus on the correct subject! The S95 would always seem to focus on the wrong subject! And with limited options with the housing, I never really found a work around. Always a level of frustration when trying to shoot something in the water column and the camera couldn't find it.

I had some issues with fuzzing images, but I am going to attribute it to me, not the camera. Of course I will be learning the limitations soon enough, yet am happy so far with the results.

As for the Affinity Photo software. TI loved Adobe Bridge for selecting/deleting photos, and did a search for a good photo viewer. The first video suggested Bridge, which is free! Woot! Just downloaded the latest version of Bridge.

That is where I am right now.. I just downloaded off the camera todays photos. Will start editing shortly and will post some later in this thread.


Thanks. What is your favorite dive site in Hollywood?
 
Yellow Brick Road
 
Ohhh thanks!
 

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